


Worlds end, new one's begin

by CristalDePhoenix



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Nihlus Kryik Lives, Smut, creative swearing, soul mark au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:13:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23236021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CristalDePhoenix/pseuds/CristalDePhoenix
Summary: Meet meWhere the end begins,In echoes,Where your world is me,And my world is you.(Perry Poetry)When two souls meet, worlds change.
Relationships: Nihlus Kryik/Female Shepard
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36
Collections: Spectre Requisitions 2020





	Worlds end, new one's begin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Luffymarra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luffymarra/gifts).



> This got slightly out of hand, but it is done!
> 
> Thanks to the ever wonderful @Spicy_Gnome and @Wafflesrock for being beta's, for without them, this story would have stalled long ago.
> 
> Hope you love this Luffymarra! It was fun and challenging to write outside my comfort zone :)
> 
> Borrowed Turian terminology from MizDirected and Kuraiummei with permission:  
> Ardespiria -- Blazing spirit. Ancient spirits related to Praela that elevated warriors during times of hardship and fear. Spirits of pure courage and nobility.
> 
> Buratrum -- The realm of the spirits of dishonourable association. Equivalent of hell.
> 
> Ylasiun -- The ancient turian version of heaven. The realm where all honourable warriors spent eternity.
> 
> Cubitura- Turian couch with more give and sturdier for pointy leg spurs and joints.

Soul Marks. Something many have tried to explain, but none truly can. Even the ageless asari have yet to fully understand how and why they occur, how they connect two souls that fit so perfectly together, or how such a bond is even made. They can feel each other over relatively short distances, once the bond is made. Pain, fear, happiness is all conveyed across the bond. Beforehand they only sense the other’s presence. If the mate was to die, the other would feel great pain, both physically and emotionally, while the mark fades but remains. Asari and krogan might have multiple marks for their long lifespans, but each loss is just as painful. Every species that has a drive to mate or bond, got a mark. Humans and asari could have varied, picturesque marks, signifying something of the owner. Turians tended to have more geometric shapes. Salarians didn’t have any as they had no drive to mate or bond. Krogan had more war-themed marks, Hanar water-themed, and so it went. Only some ever find their match, but all agree, that no one should ever come between a bonded pair.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shepard sighed as she ducked into her quarters, datapad in hand, reading Adams report on the state of the engines. She couldn’t understand most of the terminology but he’d kindly added near the end that they were working correctly with no problems. She tapped the acknowledgement that indicated she’d read the report and signed off on it. One more task off her list, and now she could relax. 

Her shoulders dropped as she blew out a lungful of air with a raspberry at the end. The Spectre on board was making everyone twitchy and she’d spent a lot of time soothing anxieties. There was an itch between her shoulder blades all the time and more than half of the time she’d turn around to find said Spectre watching her with those lovely green eyes of his.

_ Wait...lovely?  _ She mentally shook her head, when she decided the sneaky turian had lovely eyes she wasn’t certain. One of the ensigns on board had mentioned it and maybe that’s where the idea had come from.  _ Next I’ll be wondering if those carmine plates of his feel like smooth leather or suede.  _

Maybe she’d call him out on it the next time she saw him. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nihlus had known that Commander Shepard was an excellent soldier; steady under fire, with the stubbornness needed to survive a Spectre’s life. Elysium had proven that. What he hadn’t expected was his attraction to her. Yes, he recommended her, but that recommendation was based purely on her file and he was on board to evaluate her but watching her hips move about the ship, staying calm in his presence when others were nervous, got to him in a way he wasn’t expecting. Not that he had anything against the human form. But the woman made his plates itch. 

Nihlus dismissed the feeling. Maybe later, if she passed the evaluation, he could mentor her — and see if she was interested in a more  _ physical _ relationship. It was likely just being around potential partners and having no outlet that was getting to him. No sparring or fraternization rules on Alliance ships were not conducive to keeping a turian sane.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

She was taken aback, but hid it under her commander's mask, when Captain Anderson said that Nihlus was on board to evaluate her for the Spectres. But she also saw her chance to get back at him for making her shoulders itch. “Guess that explains why I bump into him every time I turn around.”

Even as her eyes followed Anderson while he spoke she felt that Nihlus’ attention hadn’t truly wavered from her. And the itch on her back grew stronger as the turian told her that he cared more for what she could do than to what species she belonged. Her eyes held his as he spoke. 

She delved into Anderson and Nihlus for more information on the mission and the beacon. Of course, her mission was not destined to be that easy, as Joker’s voice came over the comm and the cocky pilot sounded concerned. “Captain you’d better see this. It’s a transmission from Eden Prime.” 

As the transmission played, Shepard watched as Marines were shot and killed, a lot of dirt and static flying around in-between the bullets. A white and pink armoured marine came running by and pushed the camera holder down into cover. There wasn’t any clear image of the attacking force, only that the marines were faring poorly against them. The image of purple lightning and a giant ship appeared that looked more like a squid than anything else. Both Shepard and Nihlus were giving this image their full attention, as they tried to discern the situation. She knew she’d be going in and leading the team, but her gut told her Nihlus was going to want to run off ahead. The itch between her shoulders just got worse. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


"Nihlus, you’re coming with us?" Jenkins asked, the hope of working with a Spectre on one of his first missions poorly hidden in his voice.

Nihlus checked his shotgun and Shepard frowned at the implication. "I move faster on my own," came his flanged voice, and Shepard knew her gut feeling was right. The Spectre was going to go off and something bad was going to happen. To top it all off, her Mark itched— almost burned. Why, she did not know, but it hardly ever did anything and had been acting up ever since she stepped onto the Normandy.

Just as Nihlus was about to move, Shepard stood in front of him blocking his way. He scowled down at her, an order ready to leave his mouth plates. 

"Hold up Spectre. Going on your own when we don't even know what enemy we are facing or their numbers is not the best plan. We need to stick together." Shepard gave her reasoning in a tone that brokered no arguments. Now was not the time for the Spectre to go off and play hero on his own. Her instincts had always been proven to be right - Elysium was proof.

"That is exactly why we need recon, Shepard." He didn't look happy to be questioned on his decision. No one probably questioned a Spectre, except the Council. Clearly, Anderson had known of his plan, but no one cared to inform  _ her _ , even though it was her mission. That just made Shepard angrier. Following orders was one thing. Stupidity just got people killed.

Nihlus tried to sidestep her, but the red-head stayed stubbornly in front of him. "No. This is my mission, and the safety of my squad is paramount. How can I watch your back if you go running off?" He looked like he was about to argue again when she cut him off. "How can you evaluate me if you can't see me either? I will not be held responsible if you get yourself killed because you run off half-cocked into the unknown. And you know the Council will pin any mistakes on the human Spectre Candidate. If this is my mission, then you’ll follow my orders." Even though she had to look up to him, her head coming just to his shoulder, the force of her personality made her his equal. Jenkins and Alenko looked shocked, saucers for eyes, that she would stand up to a Spectre. Anderson just hid a smile behind a cough.

Personally, Shepard didn't care about their opinion of her, as long as they followed orders on the field. What was the Spectre thinking? She had an untested team, and though she believed Alenko could hold his own and command a team as her Lieutenant, she didn't trust the greenhorn, Jenkins, from doing something stupid. So they needed to stick together.

She moved in closer to him, inside his personal space, and dropped her voice to a whisper so only he would hear, face still stern "Besides you've been checking out my six for weeks now."

Nihlus looked down at her and blinked and his mandibles flicking down into a smirk, green eyes searching hers for something , - _ boy that was a gorgeous green _ -, her emerald eyes staring right back, unflinching. She knew she'd won then. At least, she thought it was a grin since his tone that followed was humorous. "Very well, Shepard. Lead the way."

She nodded, face still stern, and signalled the other marines to fall in line, while she tapped her comm. “Joker, drop us at drop point two.” An “Aye aye, Commander” followed over the cargo hold speakers. Soon, he announced “Approaching drop point two.” and the team disembarked.

“Alright Shepard, this is your show. How do we proceed?” Nihlus asked.

It sounded like he was mocking her by mimicking what Anderson had just told her. If she knew him better, she would have had a snarky come back and they could have bantered all day long. But she didn’t, and now was neither the time nor place for it. So she just nodded instead and got her bearings with her map on her helmet visor.

“We move out, quickly but quietly towards the dig site. Find the Prothean tech, get it on the ship, and kill any enemies in our way.” 

She finds the hill that will lead them to the dig site and takes the lead, the others falling into formation behind her. Nihlus doesn’t really know where to fall into an Alliance formation, but sticks close and to the rear.  _ Good _ . 

Jenkins was a little shaken at the state of the place. Poor kid. Must be hard to see your home ransacked and destroyed. She hoped his parents didn’t live close. But when they reached the first burnt body, she knew this wasn’t a normal attack by mercs after the beacon. They would just shoot whoever was in the way, not burn them. 

Nihlus moved over to take a closer look at the body. “Shepard, the bodies are burned but the soil and brush nearby is undamaged. Inferno tech would have left some collateral burn marks.” His grip was comfortable on his weapon but he changed out the shotgun for his assault rifle. 

The feeling of creeping dread increased. The itch between her shoulders began to burn. She sped up the pace, trying to be cautious so as not to run into an ambush or be surprised by a patrol, but needing to hurry.

They came to some rocks and a turn in the road. Shepard heard something and stopped them, going to cover. She looked to Nihlus and he nodded, he’d heard it too, but it was gone now. Her instincts were going haywire, but she couldn’t see or hear anything. 

Reluctantly, she signalled for the others to go ahead while she kept an eye out. Alenko moved up to the next cover, and nothing happened. Jenkins followed him and suddenly all hell broke loose. Out of nowhere, floating, shooting flashlights came over the hill and targeted the only open target, Jenkins. She yelled for him to get to cover while they all opened fire, but it was too late. The bots ripped through his shields before they could take the things down.

The hovering drones didn’t last long, but the damage was done. When she rushed over to Jenkins, there was already no pulse. She closed his eyes for him. Alenko came up behind her and commented on how they ripped through his shields. She had seen that, but it also meant they needed to be extra careful when it came to facing these… things. Mechs? Not really any defence mech she ever saw.

“We will see that he receives a proper service once the mission is complete, but right now I need you to stay focused, Alenko.” She stood to face the Lt. 

“Aye aye, ma’am.” Alenko straightened. 

Yup, she’d summed him up correctly. True, loyal soldier to the core. Honestly, she only had the Spectre to worry about now, and she could feel his judging green orbs boring a hole into her back. She marked the location of the body on her map for retrieval later. And her mark burned. She had to keep her hands from scratching between her shoulder blades. The dark red phoenix with a blue circle around it was an odd mark, but not unheard of among humans or asari. 

Her mark had hardly ever done anything, which meant her soul mate was far away. Now? For the first time, it was itching, almost burning. The books said that was when your soulmate is in danger and close by. Who it was she had yet to find out, they could be on the other end of the planet and it would still count as ‘close enough for a reaction’ according to asari scholars. And with the Geth here, no one was safe. Time to worry about that later. 

Just as they were about to move out, Nihlus stepped up to her. “Commander, we need recon. If I go ahead, you won’t be surprised like that again.” Shepard turned around and glared at him.

“Or you get  _ yourself _ surprised and killed.” She countered. “Jenkins just got killed and we were cautious! What will happen if there is no one to watch  _ your _ back?” Didn’t he get that on the ship already?

He seemed frustrated but stayed his hand, for now, grunting an affirmative. They moved up the hill and killed more of the floating shootamabobs, when she realised that Nihlus wasn’t there any more. 

“Son-of-a-pixiswagler…” She swore colourfully and got on the comms, only to stop with her hand halfway up to her headpiece when another soldier came running around some rocks, away from two-legged robots and more floating shooters. Further back, some of the mechs were impaling a live human on spikes! What was wrong with these mechs?! They quickly helped the soldier in pink armour she remembered from the distress call to finish them off and got some new intel on the situation, though it didn’t help much. In fact, it made the situation more grave. 

Then she remembered they were one member short, and got back on the comm.

“Nihlus? Where did you run off to?! I said stay with us!” she growled into the mic. 

“I’m doing recon, Commander, and you need it. There are some burnt-out buildings up ahead. A lot of dead bodies and more Mechs. Keep your guard up. I’ll meet you at the dig site.”

“No you won’t! We have Geth here, Spectre! Geth! Get your bony ass back here this instant!” She was losing patience with this turian. Didn’t turians follow procedure and rules like a religion?

“Relax Shepard. I’m not that far ahead. On a rise overlooking the hilltop where the scientists stayed, just above the dig site. There’s not much left. I’ll wait till I see you coming, then move to the next spot to provide the intel you need. I have a cloak, the Geth will never see me coming.” He sounded almost smug.

Shepard took a deep breath in through her mouth and out through her nose. Logically, it was what they needed as long as he didn’t wander far. “Fine, but stay within range so we can help you if you run into trouble. Got that?”

“Roger that, Shepard” And the comm cut out.

When she turned back to her group, Williams was looking at her strange and Alenko looked worried. She didn’t have time to explain. “We have a turian Spectre with us, I’ll explain later. Williams, take us to the dig site.”

The dig site was, of course, empty. She relayed that to Nihlus, who then said he’d meet them at the small spaceport. On their way, they came across the scientists camp and it was ravaged as well, like Nihlus had reported. They ran into weird spikes that dropped cyborg things, husks of people really, that attacked them. Whatever psychological warfare the Geth were using, it was working on Williams. 

“Williams, Keep your head in the game. Don’t let these flashlight-heads get to you.”

Williams took a deep, calming breath and centred herself again. “Aye aye ma’am. Time for some payback.”

They all whirled around with guns raised as they heard movement behind them. There were only two prefabs behind them and they set out to investigate. Inside they found two very lucky scientists. The lead researcher, Dr. Warren, told them the beacon was moved to the spaceport, so they just missed it. The other one though, Manuel. He was… unstable. But he did talk about another Turian here, even before Nihlus had landed with them. This was intel she needed to pass along, so the moment they were done with the scientists, she got on the comm with Nihlus again.

“Spectre Kryik, keep an eye out. There is supposedly another turian here, and they are leading the Geth. The scientists also confirmed that the beacon was moved to the spaceport, so we’ll meet up there.”

“Leading the Geth? If it were any other situation right now, I’d say you were crazy, Shepard. Meet you at the spaceport.”

  
  


\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nihlus cut the comm, browplates furrowing in thought. A turian leading the Geth? It was unheard of since the Morning War that the Geth followed any organic. They were missing a big chunk of intel on this. As a Spectre, he was used to going into perilous situations, sometimes with little intel, with the purpose of gathering said intel. But this? He was debating believing the fiery red-head, or thinking she cracked under the pressure.

Though her record suggested the latter was unlikely, and he knew her’s by heart already. She’d taken lead of the situation ever since that distress call came in, much to his dismay. He hadn’t needed to follow orders from someone other than a Councilor ever since he completed his Spectre training. The nerve of that human. He already liked her feisty attitude. Which was a good thing, since he was going to be spending a lot of time with her for this training. He doubted the Council would accept her training as complete if he didn’t put her through as many situations as possible to prove she could handle it, just because she was human.

And then there was his Soul Mark. Ever since he had it he figured it would be an asari, but then the humans entered the scene and the possibilities increased, though highly unlikely. It was a red fiery bird in a blue ring, something only those two species would exhibit, and the ring was symbolic of him, while both races had legends of red fiery birds so that was unhelpful. Now, here, on this human-turian co-op ship, filled with humans, it started to itch. It didn’t help that it sat on the side of his waist. So he figured it was a human, but which one? Half of them seemed to either hate his guts or were scared of him. It did flare up when he was arguing with Shepard, so could it be her? He’d laugh if it was her. The tiny human biotic powerhouse, Spectre candidate and his future student. What a way to meet. He smiled inwardly at the thought. He’d have to test his theory first, to be sure, but relished the challenge.

All this he contemplated as he snuck to the spaceport, using his cloak when needed to get by the Geth. It was rather easy when one did not stick to the main roads, as they were concentrated around those and the structures.

Geth of all things! After Shepard had informed him of that little tidbit, he recognised them and had turned on his hardsuit’s camera to record all that happened from his vitals to forward view. He knew the Council would be hard-pressed to believe anything without proof, and he had a feeling this shit was going to go even more pear-shaped soon, to borrow the human expression.

He finally came upon the small spaceport for the town, surveying it from the hill. There was movement on the docks, and not a Geth, that much he could see. Pulling up his rifle to use the scope, he zoomed in. It was the other turian Shepard had mentioned. So maybe there was some truth to the words of the scientist, but were they leading the Geth? Pity he didn’t bring his sniper rifle, it had a better scope so he would be able to see who they were. Right now all he could figure out from this distance was their armour was white and the crest indicated a male. He sent a quick message to Shepard, letting her know he’d found the other turian. If he used comms now, he might be heard, the area too heavily guarded.

He snuck closer and was right on top of them when he ducked behind a low wall at the entrance to the spaceport. He’d give them a chance to explain what they were doing here. If they were a pirate working with the Geth he’d just shoot them. The other turian turned away and he came out of cover, weapon raised and ready to apprehend them when he recognised who it was.

“Saren?” Surprise filled his subvocals and showed plainly on his face, mandibles going slack. He hadn’t seen nor heard from the other Spectre in nearly a year. What was he doing here now?

“Nihlus” Came his cool, but flat words. Something felt off. And not just the wrongness of this mission. 

“This isn’t your mission Saren. What are you doing here?” he asked, lowering his weapon from his former mentor. 

Saren casually strolled closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. “The Council thought you could use some help on this one.” He walked past Nihlus, letting go of his shoulder. Taking his word at face value, Nihlus relaxed, glad to have a fellow Spectre there to help out on this crazy mission. And not just any Spectre, but the best to boot.

“I wasn’t expecting to find the Geth here. The situation’s bad.” He looked out at their surroundings, noting there were no Geth here right now. Something niggled at the back of his mind. Things didn’t add up. Why would the Council send in another Spectre? It was just supposed to be a pickup and evaluation. Their relay of the distress call to the Council was too recent to have warranted a response by now, it had only been about an hour. So how was Saren here already? This wasn’t his sector and he avoided humans like diseased animals.

“Don’t worry.” Came the calm words of his teacher, and something struck him about that statement. “I have everything under control.” He heard the whirr of a HMWP pistol unfolding. He was about to turn around and look for the source when a banshee wail pulled their attention to the hillside nearby.

“Nihlus! Look out!” Shepard was Charging down the hill in full biotic bloom. Right at him! In the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the pistol aimed at his head, in the hands of someone he knew and trusted. He wouldn’t be able to move fast enough, he knew that even as he started to move his head to avoid it. 

Adrenaline made everything go in slow motion. Saren refocused the pistol on him, the slight drop caused by surprise, preparing to pull the trigger. He could see the tension increasing on the trigger when he got hit with a biotic force from the side just as the metal shaving left the barrel at supersonic speeds. He felt it nick his head before he hit the ground hard. A Charge was not meant to end gently on concrete docks even on a good day. 

Shepard and he landed in some crates. He felt movement as Shepard moved to cover him. He was dazed enough that he couldn’t even lift his head. He heard shooting, some yelling from the depths of  _ Buratrum  _ itself, and the sound of Saren’s footsteps leaving, letting the Geth and those husks cover for him. _ That proved he’s working with the Geth _ , but his mind was a mess of thick treacle when it came to processing what was happening right now, he could only take it all in. He felt himself grow colder and couldn’t figure out why even as his waist burned. Breathing hurt. 

_ Let me just close my eyes, so tired. Big headache. Headache go away with sleep, yes?... Yes. Sleep. _

The world was starting to go grey and fuzzy when bright red came into his vision. Someone was picking him up, moving his head and he was near powerless to stop them apart from groaning at the extra pain it caused.

“Specter?! Nihlus! Look at me! Open your eyes! Don’t you dare fade on me now you asshole!” Her voice was frantic, on the verge of panic. Something in her voice, specifically because it was her voice, made him open his eyes. He was drawn to her and his Mark was feeling like it was burning and itching and... something all at once. She was holding his face in her hands, the other male soldier by her side, doing something with bandages.

He struggled to focus his vision but it stayed blurry. Instead, he concentrated on the bright red of her fringe. It worked a little. 

"Commander, we need to get him to Chakwas immediately before he loses too much blood, the wound won’t seal fully," Alenko warned. 

"That's it, stay with me." She told him just above a whisper. "Call in the Normandy Lt., stat!" She ordered, not taking her eyes off him. Such a vibrant green. So contrasting to her fiery fringe. Brimming with concern and life and all the nice things his mind couldn't grasp right now. Pretty.

He made a garbled attempt at speech, hand going up to touch her, but failed halfway, to which she shushed him with a blue bloody finger on his mouth plates "Shh, no need to talk. Just stay with me, ok?"

He would nod if he could, so he did a slow blink instead. In the background, he heard her lieutenant call in their ship. Was he that bad? He just needed some rest for his headache. She seemed adamant that he not rest. By the time he heard the approaching Normandy, he couldn’t hold on any longer and his vision greyed out.

His Mark burned even as peaceful nothingness enveloped him. The sensation haunting his dreamless sleep.

‐--------------------------------------‐‐-‐‐----------------------------------------

Shepard only partially relaxed when the Normandy took off with Nihlus. He didn’t look good, but it was out of her hands now, and he was in the best care this side of human space. Taking a second to centre herself, she reflected. They had come over the hill, fought past some husks only to see another turian about to shoot Nihlus in the back of the head.

Something had snapped in her as her Soul Mark flared, and she screamed for him to look out while she Charged at him. They’d hit the crates hard and she immediately went on the warpath with this strange male turian that threatened what was hers, had wanted to take him away. Though how Nihlus was hers— she could not look too deeply into that now, but it fueled her rage and her fight. Her Mark burned something fierce and she was developing a headache. Maybe she was overdoing the biotics today, but she pushed both aside as distractions to the mission.

When Saren fled, she and Alenko rushed to tend to Nihlus' head wound, Williams took watch. There was a lot of blood and some of his head spikes were broken off the side of his temple. He was spitting out fine droplets of cobalt blue blood with every groan and that worried her even more.

They did what they could here, Alenko applying medigel and bandages, but they called the Normandy for an emergency extraction. Just as the ship arrived, he lost consciousness. There was no time to question Chakwas on his condition. She watched as her crew placed Nihlus on a stretcher, grabbed the shattered bits of his head spikes and jogged into the cargo bay with Chakwas beside them, omnitool scanning the injury. She could only pray he made it, but it left her with a heavy feeling of dread to do so, not being able to sit by his side. She still had a beacon to retrieve. Nihlus wouldn’t forgive her for abandoning the mission.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nihlus awoke with the biggest headache he'd had in a long time. His head pounded like he’d been concussed with a sledgehammer wielded by a krogan, though he simultaneously felt rather numb over most of his body. Tingly in a few places. Must be pain meds. The good stuff if he had to guess. Thinking was a chore so he took a while to come to this conclusion. He noticed from a distance that for the first time his cowl and fringe were comfortably supported. Although he couldn’t remember why he’d been uncomfortable before. 

Breathing was a bit hard and there was an odd mask strapped to his face with some creative use of string to hold it in place over his mouth and under his mandibles. The discomfort made him fumble it off when he tried to sit up, but someone pushed him back gently. The action alone caused him to groan in pain as the bruised plates awoke at the movement. The mask was not replaced, luckily.

"Easy Spectre. You are in bad shape and should remain in bed for a while still. Preferably not moving. Give the bone knitters another hour or so to help heal those broken ribs of yours." No subvocal cues, flat voice, where had he heard it before? He knew the voice....It was the human doctor of the ship: the Normandy. 

Memories came flooding back. Now he remembered what happened. Evaluating Shepard, the Beacon, the Geth, and … Saren shooting him. Adrenaline surged at the betrayal. Anger and sadness intermixed within. How could Saren betray him like that? For what reason? Saren had been one of the few true friends he had, beyond their student/mentor relationship. In their line of work, attachments were a liability so he kept few. For the safety of those people as much as his own. What had pushed Saren to feel that he, of all people, needed killing? 

He tried to sit up again, needing to do something to work off the emotions. Contact the Council to tell them about Saren’s betrayal, is Shepard all right and- pain shot through his chest at the movement and he fell back with a louder groan than before, the sudden fall making his concussion ring in his head. Oh yeah. Need to heal first. Pain meds were good at making you forget that.  _ Dammit! _

“Spectre Kryik. Please do not move or you will make it worse. If you try that again, I will be forced to restrain you,” came the stern warning from the female doctor. 

“Duly noted,” he groaned. If nothing else the adrenal surge had cleared his head some. If he was this bad…he needed a plan. Intel. He might be bedridden, but there were some things he could still do from bed. After waiting another minute or two for the pain to subside, and his sluggish brain to formulate a plan, he called the doctor over.

“So,” He managed in a hoarse voice, “What’s the damage and can I get a sit rep doc? Did Shepard apprehend Saren? Did she get the Beacon?” His eyes scanned the face of the white haired female but her face gave away nothing but mild concern. 

“Easy there. Don’t get too upset. Excessive movement of your ribs will break them again at this stage if you haven’t cracked them already.” She scanned him again, and without looking up from her instruments, answered him.

“Concussion, broken ribs and a punctured lung from Shepards attempt to save you. You were lucky though, as she stopped the bullet from piercing your skull, and instead you got a glancing wound over the surface of your skull. It broke your right temporal fringe spikes and cut your superficial temporal artery and vein, which was the main cause of your bloodloss. Lucky for you we got to you quickly and I had enough dextro supplies stocked to restore most of the blood you lost. We are now out of synthetic Turian blood and tissue mesh, so please don’t get shot again before we reach the Citadel.” He got the feeling that although the doc was joking, she’d make him regret injuring himself too soon again. 

That was a nasty list. But he was alive. Thanks to Shepard. That left- the doctor held up a hand to stay his question “And before you ask, the mission was a failure. Saren escaped and somehow used the beacon and damaged it. When Shepard found the beacon, Alenko got too close and was caught in some kind of field. Shepard freed him at the expense of herself getting caught. It did something to her and exploded, leaving her physically unharmed from it but unconscious. She took two bullets in non-critical areas, and her amp almost fried, but she is alright. She is still recovering in the other bed.” The doctor nodded with her chin to the other side before turning off her equipment, seemingly satisfied with the results.

He carefully turned his head to the left, and there she was, almost peaceful looking, asleep. He smiled at himself. She looked so small and vulnerable like that. Words you would not associate with Shepard if you met her. Her personality made her seem his equal in size even if the reality was quite different. Her eyelids fluttered and her face hardened as she was having some sort of bad dream. It filled him with a need to comfort her, to take her worries away, to protect her from all harm. He never experienced this with anyone else before, and yet he could not move in the bed, much less get out of it. Now though, he needed to get down to business.

“The Council isn’t going to like this,” he mumbled as he turned back to the motherly stern doctor. “What have you reported to them as of yet?”

The doctor frowned at him “I’ll have Anderson come to fill you in, but no moving around for you. We nearly lost you on the operating table as it is.” He tried nodding in thanks and then hissed as the movement sent a shard of pain through him. He waited for her to call the Captain. He hadn’t known he was nearly lost during surgery. Somehow the doc conveyed his condition without it seeming as severe as it was. Or he just missed the finer details of what she said.

He dozed off again before the Captain arrived, but awoke at the sound of the door opening. “Nihlus, I hear you want a report on the situation?”

“I do, Captain.” He carefully nodded. Any movement that pulled at his neck pained him.

“We informed the Council that there was an attack on Eden Prime and that the Geth were involved along with Saren. There is to be a hearing as soon as we return to the Citadel. We stated your condition as critical since Dr Chakwas was still in surgery at the time. Do you have anything to add to the report?” The Doctor swatted his arm hard for this. Clearly, she didn’t want her patient to be doing anything but rest right now. The Captain rubbed at his arm and looked questioningly back at her.

“Thank you, Captain. And I want you to report me as dead.” Both the humans turned to him now, each ready with their own question on their lips, he was sure. “Saren still has his resources and can access your reports. If you state I died during transit to proper Turian medical facilities, he will believe it and think he can still get away with this… whatever it is he is doing. He is intelligent and devious and will find a way to turn your reports of seeing him there into something else. That he was never there. Especially with you as part of the mission Anderson.” The Captain looked down with a grunt of agreement to that.

"Not only that, but the minute you send me to any medical facility on the Citadel, Saren will have men sent after me to finish what he started. He is not one to leave loose ends. In my current condition, I cannot fully defend myself, and he'll use it. So I must remain on the Normandy until we can capture Saren, or I’m cleared to join in the hunt for him."

“Agreed then. But what do we do about a report to the Council? We can not state you saw Saren there if you died in transit, and right now, your eyewitness account is our most credible evidence.” Anderson asked, obviously worried the hearing would run in Saren’s favour now.

“Did my hardsuit survive?”

“Mostly. It is stored in the cargo hold along with your weapons. Why?”

“I recorded what happened. If the onboard computer survived Shepard’s Charge, you’ll have irrefutable proof that he was there, working with the Geth and attempting to kill me.” The Captain brightened up at this news.

“I’ll have it checked out by our techs. Thank you. It might be just the evidence we need to nail him.”

“As of right now, my existence is a secret only those on this ship should know. Not even the Council or your Alliance Command as Saren will find out. It gives us the upper hand when the trail comes.”

“And will allow me to force you to stay in bed longer. You won’t be cleared for duty by the time we reach the Citadel.”

Nihlus cursed but let it be. Not much he could do about the situation right now anyway. For the time being, the medbay was his home. There were still some things he could do from here without the outside world knowing it was him. His Mark had stopped burning, and was now only a mild irritation.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The mission had gone to hell no handbasket included, Shepard thought, as she sat on the medbay bed next to Nihlus.  _ You were such an idiot to go running off on your own! I told you!  _ Chakwas had said he was stable but his normally russet hide of his neck was paler than normal and his head was swathed in bandages, dark marks marring the visible hide. Extra pillows had been tucked behind his head and cowl to keep him from moving. He could easily damage the work the Dr had done to preserve as much of his crest as possible. There was the light blue haze of a biologic containment field surrounding his bed. She only hoped that was why he looked so pale. 

They were on their way back to the Citadel. She’d been out cold on this same bed the day before dreaming of the death and destruction of millions at the hands of mechs. They weren’t her memories of that she was certain but it was all such a jumble of images overlaid with despair and a warning she felt in her bones. And when she wasn’t dreaming of the death of millions her mind replayed the image of Nihlus getting shot. Only this time she wasn’t there in time to save him and her Soul Mark screamed. 

She dreaded the upcoming meeting with the Council. She could already hear Undina’s vitriol in her mind. Captain Anderson had told her who Saren was when he debriefed her earlier. The longest-serving turian Spectre. Accusing him was going to go poorly she was certain unless Nihlus woke up in time to support her. 

‐---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


Nihlus missed when Shepard woke up, because he couldn’t sit still and Chakwas had sedated him so he would stop moving and crack his ribs again. By the time he awoke, the hearing was over and Saren was still a Spectre. Shepard came by to check on him directly afterwards and she found him sitting alone in the medbay, the bed slightly raised so he could sit up more. He was busy on a datapad when she entered.

“Glad to see you awake Spectre,” she said by way of greeting, a smile on her face. She took a chair and turned it's back towards him, sitting down with a leg on each side.

He smiled down at her, remembering all the emotions his mind came up with for her while he was dazed or high on pain meds. He hadn’t even had time to work through those emotions and what they meant, nor did he have time now. So he did what he always did in emotionally sensitive issues. Put it in a box and labelled it ‘Later’. He did not let any of this show in his subvocals or facial expression. Not that he was sure she would know what it meant, but not wanting her to pick up something was off with him right now. Besides the obvious.

“Glad to be awake. And look-” He brandished the datapad “Your  _ friendly, kind  _ doctor has even let me work from a datapad.” He smiled like a shark, all teeth, though it was all in good humour. It was a bit of a battle to let him even get this done right now. No matter what rank you had in the galaxy, Doctors always outranked you when it came to their patient. Especially when  _ you _ were the patient.

Shepard chuckled and he found he liked the sound of it. “Yeah, she can be a bit of a mother hen sometimes, but always with good intentions. Otherwise, I’d be up and walking around the moment I woke from surgeries.”

The doctor glared at Shepard. “Don’t give him any ideas. He is on bed rest for the next few hours. The bone knitters might be done, but the new connections are still fragile.  _ Easily _ broken.” She reminded them both.

Shepard gave the doctor what he supposed was an innocent smile. The doctor glared back at her. Shepard caved first, ducking her head and clearing her throat, turning back to him instead.

“So, uh,... I hear you’re dead now, technically.”

He gave a warm chuckle. “Yeah. Best way to try and catch Saren by surprise. I’m hoping to figure out what his game is. If nothing else, when we call a retrial and I give my testimony, he will be completely blindsided. I’m hoping getting his resources suddenly revoked will give us the edge we need to find and capture him. It will also expose just how much he lied to the Council in the first trial, leading them to investigate deeper into any other dealings he has had in the past few months if not years. Perhaps that will give us a lead to where he might be now, or going to next.” he explained while sitting as still as possible. It felt weird but it was preferable to the pain and the doctor sedating him again.

Shepard listened like a good student, he could practically see the gears turning in her head. In the end, she frowned. “Do you always plan ahead like that?”

“Honestly, no. Not all situations allow for much planning beforehand.” he tried to shrug but regretted it immediately with a hiss of pain. Chakwas gave him  _ the look _ and he laid back down more fully into the lovely pillows they’d been hiding from him all this time. After a few more shallow breaths for the pain to subside, he took one slow, deep breath without much pain. All good.

“I get that, but you missed an important part that might have made things easier for us.” She countered when he was ready again.

“And that would be?”

“Now you have to hide, do things through middlemen and you don’t have your Spectre access to files anymore. You could have done this research on your own before the trial, and been able to attend-” a chough from behind the desk made them turn around, and Chakwas just raised an eyebrow at that.

“Ok, been able to attend via vidfeed like Saren. We’d have cut off his resources by now and he’d be a fugitive. Just FYI, all that survived of your hardsuit’s recording was your vitals and that the Geth were there. Everything useful turned to static. Now he still has the upper hand, and is continuing doing who knows what.”

There was silence for a beat where Nihlus stared at her agape. He hadn't thought of it that way. Then again, he was supposed to have attended that hearing and Saren would have been exposed for the rogue he now was. He hadn’t thought this plan through if it didn’t work out the way he wanted it to, and had no real answer for being called out on it. This is what he gets for planning while high on pain meds.

"I ...uh.. didn't plan on my death lasting so long, actually." He looked in the direction of the doctor, and Shepard rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes, and that is entirely not your fault.”

“I have very important work that needs to get done, I often can’t wait to get healed up properly first. If I can move, I have to,” He tried to explain, though he doubted she would fully understand the implications just yet, not being a Spectre and all. So much to teach her still.

“And I will stop you on that train of thought before I need to sedate you again. Commander, please refrain from trying to get Nihlus out of bed before I clear him to do so,” the stern but true words of the doctor cut in. She had a point, though he hated it. Sure, he loved some good downtime after a mission left him battered and bruised, but that wasn’t when his best friend and mentor tried to shoot him not a day ago.

“Fine, doc. I’ll get down to business then, the kind he can stay in bed and advise me on his brilliant plan of.” And to business it was. She told him of their possible leads, and he gave his insights on where to go first. He’d go talk to Barla Von first, even gave her credits for the information since Barla wasn’t cheap. Then go hear what that slimeball Harkin could tell them on where to find that Vakarian C-Sec investigator. He might be onto something, otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked to stall the Council. Nihlus ordered her to keep in contact with him on what happened and to keep an eye out for the operatives Saren would undoubtedly send after her. She should also be on the lookout for any potential allies or informants outside of her Alliance contacts since these would form the information net of any good Spectre.

“One last thing, Shepard.”

“Yes, Sensei” He looked at her perplexed and she was holding back a laugh, but he soldiered on.

“What is a ‘mother hen’?” His genuine curiosity and straight face made both humans laugh.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a plan of action, Shepard headed out. As asked, she kept him in the loop on what was happening via her suit camera, since he was still technically dead, and soon she had a lead. They found a krogan bounty hunter, saved a local clinic doctor where the Vakarian fledge got them their lead, killed a crime boss and rescued a quarian that had the information they needed to nail Saren good. He was so happy he nearly jumped out of the bed, but he stayed put and watched as Shepard and her team were on their way to deliver the evidence to the human ambassador, Udina. 

While they were en route to the embassies, the doctor,- Chakwas! Now he remembered her name- came to check his progress and he waited in anticipation. A few scans, a few beeps and an unreadable expression later “Well Spectre, it seems you have healed enough to leave the medbay.”

“Yes, finally-” She stopped him with a hand in front of his face, forestalling his celebration and him moving out of the bed, right arm already in the air in a fist. “You are not cleared for duty or any strenuous exercise. You can walk and you can talk. That’s it.”

“I can go to the Citadel Tower and give my testimony? Tell them I’m not really dead?” He asked, already formulating his needed strategy.

“Yes.”

“Fucking finally!” He only just kept himself from jumping out of the bed, for fear of being returned to it by the no-nonsense doctor. 

He quickly went to the officer’s cabin allocated to him and dressed in his best civvies, taking care to put on some temporary make-up to make him look less pale, and putting on a fashionable hooded cloak to partially obscure his face and fresh scars. He hated hoods, they always itched and he had no idea how turians actually liked them, but he wanted no one to know he was going to the tower for the impending trial, so as to keep it a surprise. It would be the only way to catch Saren off guard.

Swiftly he exited the Normandy and took the keeper and maintenance tunnels to get him to his destination unnoticed. When he popped out on one of the maintenance doors, no one gave him a second glance and he casually strolled to the balcony overlooking the Councilor’s podium. Here in the relative dark, no one would distinguish him among the other well-dressed diplomats.

He didn’t have to wait long before the announcement came that there would be an emergency Council meeting in 15 min. He smiled to himself. Soon. Soon this being dead business would be over and he could convince the Council to accept Shepard into Spectre training under him.

Now to wait 15 minutes. Having to pretend to be a stiff and proper diplomat was boring, and being stiff and polite onboard the Normandy had already started to wear thin on him, so he let his mind start to wander to Shepard again. It was starting to happen more often with his enforced downtime. In particular that pull he felt towards her and how his Mark reacted around her. He was almost positive that she was his Soul Mate. How his mind kept conjuring various beautifying terms to describe her, how he always wanted to be near her. It was slowly driving him insane. It didn’t help that he’d been without relief for weeks now, thanks to being on an Alliance vessel with their stupid no sparring and no fraternization rules…

Being honest with himself, he’ll admit to desiring the Commander in  _ that _ way, and for more than just good stress relief. He dared not say it, because if he got attached now and discovered she wasn’t… He probably wouldn’t be able to piece back together his heart after everything that had happened with Saren as well.

His thoughts were disrupted with the entrance of the Councilors themselves. All High and Mighty like they were above the common folk. Yeah, he didn’t like them that much, the attitude and condescension, and Sparatus especially didn’t like him. Saren was his favorite. Tevos was ok, though he imagined she could smile with that diplomatic face while stabbing you in the back with a kitchen knife and not even blink about it. But, they did their job well, and so did he.

A few minutes more and Udina entered. The usual pleasantries were shortened by the nature of the meeting, but Shepard wasn’t there yet. Where was she? He scoffed at that. Tardiness to a Council meeting, she was going to have to fix that for future endeavours.

Just as Udina was presenting the quarian’s evidence, Shepard came up the stairs, followed by a turian in C-Sec blue armour and a heavily scarred krogan of all things. Nihlus snickered quietly to himself. He’d bet good credits that sight would get under Sparatus’ plates. 

But he was stalling. He turned away just as Saren’s voice came over the speakers. The actual words were lost as he entered the stairwell, but the sound of it stirred up all those feelings he had neatly boxed away while in the medby. Anger and grief warred within him. Taking the stairs two at a time to get to the lower level, he just caught Tevo’s announcement that Saren would be stripped of his Spectre status.  _ Good, but not enough. _

Udina echoed his thoughts, only much louder and demanding more from the Council. The ambassador's usual chest pounding. He ended up behind one of the planters, waiting for the right moment to reveal himself. When the debate started about making Shepard a Spectre, he stepped up to the petitioners’ stage.

“Allow me Councilors,” as he took off his hooded cloak. Gasps and whispers spread through the auditorium. “Let me go after Saren. I, arguably, know him the best as his one of his recent proteges, and I will corroborate that he did, in fact, shoot me. But as you can see-” He turned his head, so the scarring from the head wound was visible to the Councilors “-he was unsuccessful because Shepard saved my life.”

“Kryik?! What is the meaning of this? You were reported as dead,” came Sparatus’ incredulous tone. The carmine Spectre knew that Sparatus hated not being in the know. The Councillor always wanted to be one step ahead of everyone else.

He set about explaining his original plan but excluded the real reason why he’d needed additional sedation. What the Council didn’t know wouldn’t come back to bite him later. 

“Are saying you only just got out of the Normandy’s medbay and came straight here? Are you fit for duty then Kryik?” asked Valern. Of course, only he would worry if Nihlus was fit for duty.

“Not yet, but I will be soon. In a day or so I will be cleared for duty and we can head out after Saren.”

“Not good enough!” yelled Udina. “We need action now! Every minute wasted here, Saren could be attacking another of our colonies, and you will get farther and farther behind!”

“Though I am loathe to agree, the ambassador has a point, Kryik. We cannot rightfully send an injured Spectre out on a mission, and Saren already has a head start.” Sparatus sounded his agreement and concern.

Nihlus was certain he, what was the human saying again,had stolen his thunder, from ambassador Udina when he recommended Shepard to lead the hunt for Saren.

There were some minor quibbles but Tevos led the vote to make Shepard a Spectre. He watched with pride as she took her oath and was ordered to bring Saren to justice by any means necessary . He was to aid her with his knowledge and act as a guide in her new role.  _ That’s my girl _ .

After the pomp and circumstance, Udina and Captain Anderson left to arrange a ship and supplies for Shepard. He’d follow her since this was her mission. After she sent the others to go get what they needed for the trip, he stepped closer to her, and tentatively put a hand on her shoulder.

“Congratulations, Spectre Shepard. You honestly surpassed even my expectations for how quickly you came into our ranks.” He flared his mandibles in a smile at her, hoping his pride in her was evident enough in his voice and eyes. 

“Thanks, though it all still feels a bit surreal. Where do I begin this hunt? What do I need? Who will I need?” Her face was tight with worry. It was a wonder that he was beginning to read her expressions so easily after such a little time or maybe it was because she was his soul mate?

“Relax Shepard. As soon as we know what ship you are given, we can work on the rest. For now, I suggest you accompany me.” She nodded and followed him out of the Citadel tower and to the transit hub. Catching a cab he programmed their destination and hoped he wasn’t going to be too forward with her. He led her to an apartment in the Silver Sun Strip. His apartment. His Mark was warming up along with the speed of his heartbeat just at the thought.

“Wow Nihlus. Does being a Spectre pay this well? I can’t wait to get my own!” Shepard’s head was moving side to side, revealing then hiding the curve of her neck, as she looked at the turian styled leather couch and real wood paneling on the walls to the real marble floors. “This place is huge!” 

“Don’t get used to it,” he said with a laugh as the door slid shut and locked automatically behind them. “I’m hardly ever here to enjoy it. We’re almost always out on a mission.”

“Then why did you bring me here?” She asked, still looking around. He had the place styled by a local asari decor specialist. Soft curves in the furniture and accessories were accented with soft pastel colours. On the off chance he got to entertain here. Really, the apartment was only for when he didn’t have his ship available. There was some intel still stored here though. None directly linked to the mission, but maybe if he sifted through his old messages with Saren.. and maybe it was a place to start something new. With Her.

“Because I needed to pack my things-” he moved past the kitchen island to the cooling unit to grab a cold dextro Tupari, suddenly struggling with a dry throat “and...” he stuck his head into the cooling unit looking for the regular Tupari for her. “Ha found it!” He stood flourishing the two bottles.

“That’s a lie and you know it. Your stuff is already on the Normandy,” the red head said blandly.  _ Caught out again. Just how did she know? _ He wondered.

He sighed “Some  _ more _ things, since my stay on the Normandy is now extended indefinitely.  My backup set of armour, for one, and possibly more information on Saren."

Nihlus stepped closer to her, into her personal space, handing her the drink. Popping the top with ease, he took a quick drink to make sure his throat would not fail him now “And I wanted to talk to you on a serious matter as well. Away from the prying eyes and ears of your crew or the Citadel at large.” He purred the last bit. Now or never. Time to figure out if he had been right.

She took the bottle and drank from it raising her chin and exposing her throat to him.  _ Does she have any idea what that says to a turian?  _ He had to fight to keep his body from visibly reacting. Not yet.

She finished the bottle in one go and dropped her chin again to meet his eyes, 

“And what would that be?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, not backing away from him. It was a good start. He hoped.

“Have….,uh,... I…mhm, I mean,... ,” Great, now that he wanted to speak his heart he got tongue-tied. Growling in frustration, he just forced the words out. “Has your Soul Mark been burning? The entire time we were on the Normandy?”

She took a step back, emerald eyes widened in shocked, then narrowing at him.

“Yes” She looked thoughtful, “yes, the entire time. More an itch I couldn’t scratch but it burned white-hot when I saw you were going to be shot.” Her green eyes met his, curious and unafraid.

He winced at the reminder. “Well so has mine.” He took another small step closer.

“Really?”She smirked at him, if he didn’t know better he’d think she was mocking him. 

“Yes, really.” He puts down his drink on a nearby coffee table and starts pulling up his shirt by the waist, and before she could tell him it was inappropriate, she sees his Mark. No,  _ her _ Mark on him. The red phoenix with the blue ring. She is speechless as she looked him straight in the eyes, shining with an emotion he couldn’t place, empty bottle clattering to the floor. Her reaction tells him all he needs to know. He dropped his shirt and waited for her to do something other than being silent. He had no idea what she thought of Soul Marks. 

She could be one of those that thought Soul Marks were just there to distract you, that they were nothing but the universe trying to conscript their lives when they wanted to be free of all bonds but those they chose themselves. He’d never even thought of that and was now worried he might have gone too fast. But he didn’t know when they’d have time alone like this again, so he had to chance it. His Mark both burned and had a warm, fuzzy feeling to it.

The anxiety was starting to eat away at him when she finally moved her mouth. “You’re… you’re my Soul Mate?” she voiced barely above a whisper, tears were starting to gather in the corner of her eyes. 

He choked a laugh in relief. “Yeah. What do- Oof!” Nihlus was cut off as she  _ hugged _ him like he was the last barrel of ammo on the battlefield.

“Ow, Ow Ow! Ribs, remember ribs!” he choked out and she abruptly let go like he’d burned her.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Her hands hovered over his barrel chest, not knowing what to do, as he wheezed towards the nearest couch. Seeing his plan she came in under his arm to support him and help him to his destination, gently lowering him onto the  _ cubitura _ . 

“Is ok,” he finally managed in a strained breath, relaxing back into the cushions. Ah… Nothing like Turian furniture after a long time being crammed in too small seats with too upright backs and too stiff and flat beds. Peeking over he saw Shepard looking down, brow furrowed in concern and he couldn’t stop the smile even if he wanted to. “Nothing worse than what I did to myself back in the medbay, Shepard. I’ll live.” He’d lived through worse after all.

Her face stalled all further comments. Her concern had not wavered, even at his lighthearted joke. She was biting her lip and it seemed like she was beating herself up for injuring him so. She took a seat next to him and looked at him with such admiration intermixed with concern, longing and, he dare say, love. No one had ever looked at him like that. Like he was the only being on this station. It made his shallow breath catch. A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, and before he knew it his hand reached up to gently wipe it off her cheek with his thumb. She closed her eyes and pressed her face more fully into his gloved hand, covering it with her own.

“I never thought I’d meet my Soul Mate...” Why was she...crying? His heart felt like it was breaking, his Mark, heart and soul all demanded he comfort her in unison.

His expression softened and he lowered his voice, leaning in to press his crest to her forehead, a rumbling purr that was felt more than heard coming from deep in his chest, and damn it even if it made his chest hurt he’d sing his love and admiration for her, “Shh, shh. It’s ok. I’m here. All thanks to you.” He smiled down at her and her lip quirked up into a faint smile.

Shepard opened her eyes and forest met emerald green. In that moment he got lost in her eyes, could almost feel a connection between them starting to form, a bond like no other. Nihlus leaned his head down and kissed her, a human kiss. She hesitated on the first tentative peck he gave her, but when he came in for a second, fuller kiss, she kissed back and soon the kiss got more and more heated. Her arms slowly snaked around his neck, while his hands travelled down her body to hold her waist. He could never fully mimic a human kiss with his stiff, flat lip plates, but he was damn good with them.

Nihlus gently nipped at her lip, then licked it. When she opened for him in a soft gasp he slowly let his tongue into her mouth, feeling out her stubby, flat tongue and starting a dance with it. She caught on and tilted her head, one hand going up to the back of his fringe, the other around his neck in his cowl. She was feeling him out and eventually came across the sensitive patch of hide under the fringe. When she rubbed it, his purr dropped an octave and he growled at her, tightening his hold on her and pulling her onto his lap.

When they broke for air, he lapped with his dextrous tongue down her jaw to her neck, where he encountered their first obstacle. Clothing. Growling in frustration that made her laugh, he began to divest her of her shirt. He threw it unceremoniously over the back of the couch to a corner. His hands free again, he put both on her breasts and kneaded them gently, while his tongue continued to lick a pathway of fire down her skin from her neck and collarbone. 

Nihlus could hear her stifling a moan and made it his goal to tease out more of those delicious sounds from her. Letting one hand drift to her back to unfasten her bra and they quickly moved together to get it out from between them. His tongue took its place on her open breast, moving down slowly, while the other started to pinch her nipple gently, rolling it between the thumb and forefinger. The bra itself was just tossed, ending up as part of a statue in the lounge. A louder moan was drawn from her at his actions, her back arching slightly to press more into him. He chuckled, male pride being preened at this.

“You’ve done this before.” Came her breathy voice, like music from  _ Ylasiun _ . It was a statement, not a question.

“Hmh” Was his only reply, as he let his subvocals rumble with his satisfaction, desire and something more for her. He wasn’t even sure he could make that sound, but she was proving him wrong in something every day.

Her hands strayed from his head to try and unfasten his own tunic, but clearly not knowing the unfamiliar garment, fumbling with the clasps when they do find them.

“Allow me,” he said, as he pulled away just enough to start undoing the pesky clasps, never once taking his eyes off her. As his hide and plate was revealed to her, her hands started to slowly explore, feeling the different textures beneath her calloused, yet still soft fingertips. For a moment he was worried she would be repulsed by his alien form, but all he found in her eyes was adoration and curiosity.

He let her explore, his own hands feeling out the velvety softness of her alabaster skin, sprinkled with brown dots like the stars in the night sky, familiar pockmarks from old bullet wounds marring it's surface. A few cuts that felt like stab and cut wounds too. He'd filed his talons before coming onboard the Normandy, knowing he was solely going to work with humans for at least a few weeks. Her hands came to a rest on his mandibles, a question furrowing her brows. “How do we do this? I’ve never,.. I mean I have before,.. but not.., you know…”

A rumbling chuckle was her answer and she looked like she was going to swat him when he quickly explained. “I know, don’t worry. I’ll guide you. I’ve been with plenty of asari and a few humans.”

“But what about your injuries. I don’t want to hurt you, or delay your recovery.” Oh the sincerity in her voice, made her seem younger than she truly was.

Nihlus took a pale hand in his russet brown one. So much larger than hers, yet no less deadly on the battlefield. He kissed her palm, then looked back at her. “We’ll work this out. If we move to the bed, I can be on my back, and you can do all the work. I won’t get hurt, I promise.”

“Hmpf, you always let the girl do all the work?" She scowled down at him, the heat of her words lessened by the smile threatening to break across her face. He laughed, then held his side in a hiss. She dropped the act and wanted to help but didn't know how. "Ok, but only if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.” With his agreement, she relented and moved off of him. When he got up, he took her hand and led her to the bedroom upstairs. It had a floor to ceiling window that overlooked the wards which he quickly blacked out, the wall-mounted lights coming on in a soft, warm glow, with a large bowl-shaped bed, filled to the brim with pillows. Before he went to sit down, he started to pull down his pants. She got the hint and did the same. 

Both now fully naked, they just stood there, staring at each other. He let her eyes rove over him, just as he did her. She had scars from her life on the streets, and her battles as a soldier like he’d felt on her skin not minutes before; much like his plates showed his past, cracked and scratched in places. He knew he was striking among his people, accentuated by his full body colony markings. Her Mark sat dead centre of her shoulder blades, the red in them the same dark red as his plates. He had the sudden feeling of being inadequate in front of her. Modesty was not something that bothered turians as much as other races, but he sure as hell felt it in this moment, almost making his half-open pelvic plates shut again. The smell of her arousal pulled him from his worry and put him at ease that she was not afraid or put off by his differences; all hard, pointy and dangerous-looking compared to her soft curves and delicate skin. She couldn’t be more beautiful even if she were turian.

"So.., uh… how do we begin?" She asked tentatively, her own modesty showing through. 

"We begin where we left off," and he stepped into her space, kissing her with a passion he had never before put into the action. Their hands roamed free once more and he gently pulled her down to the bed of pillows with him. 

They broke apart to allow him to arrange the pillows as he needed them around his chest, cowl and neck to give the right support, before he pulled her back into his lap. He was half-sitting, so she could easily lean forward and continue kissing him, which she did.

Between the kissing, her scent, his Mark doing amazing things to his state of mind and libido, and her movements in his lap, he slipped out of his protective sheath and the sudden sensation made her gasp. 

Looking down, her eyes widened. He was big, but only because she was smaller than him. He was actually proportional, but the blue/purple colour, self-lubrication, ridges and tapered tip running down to a bulbous base was certainly new to her. Well, depending on her reading habits. Her hand hovered just above it, when she looked questioningly up at him.

"Go ahead." He encouraged her. And she gently touched his member with a finger at the tip. His cock twitched at the sensation, and she gently ran it down his length, making him purr in a whole different set of ranges. Not one to sit idle, he let his left-hand drift down her waist to her hip, let it circle the bony protrusion once while she took him in hand with that lovely many-fingered, soft hand. His calloused finger travelled further down to test her readiness. He needed to prepare her fully if he wasn't going to hurt her.

A single digit ran up her slit, making her gasp. He parted her lips and found her already wet for him. He shivered at the thought in anticipation. She began to gently pump him and he groaned, head falling back. He didn’t care that he was showing his throat to her, even if she didn’t understand the meaning.

He let a single thick finger slip into her folds and now it was her turn to moan. He first gently explored her, looking for the spots that made her moan his name and shiver in his grasp; before he began to slowly thrust it in and out of her. Her nimble body moved with his hand, seeking to get more of him into her. Nihlus obliged by adding a second finger. Her hands fisted on his chest as her wonderful sounds rose in volume. 

Finally, he scissored his fingers to test her readiness. She was a dripping mess in his hand by now, calling upon her diety interspersed with his name and the word “Fuck” as he added his thumb to that lovely bundle of nerves above her entrance.  _ Hmh, yes, you are, and I will _ . His mind supplied unnecessarily. 

He could feel her walls starting to clamp down on him and he abruptly pulled out his fingers. “Oh fuck no, you’re not stopping now!” She complained, only to squeak as he hefted her up by her hips. He lined up his member to her entrance and slowly began to sink her down onto him, allowing for the time in-between for her to adjust before he moved further until he finally hilted with his thick, knot-like base. They were both breathing heavily, but for different reasons. 

Oh Spirits. He thought as he took a moment himself to not spill in her like some cadet at bootcamp. Her wet heat was so tight, so soft, like he knew she would be, but with the added sensation of his Mark flooding his senses with euphoria at being with his Soul Mate, how right it felt, bonding to her, it was at a whole other level. He felt like he was on hallex, yet had all his faculties about him. He could only imagine she was experiencing something similar.

Shepard had her eyes screwed shut when he looked at her, and he suddenly worried that he went too fast for her, or was too big, when she looked back at him. Those eyes. He forgot that they needed to hurry to catch Saren, that Saren betrayed him, that they were on the Citadel, in his apartment. Even the fact that they were different species melted away as he stared into her soul, not a mirror to his own, but the part that completes him, his missing half. How long they stayed like that, he couldn’t say, but she was the first to start to move, and it pulled him from this world and back to the one where sensation leads their next move. 

He started to slowly thrust back into her, matching her speed. Once he knew she was comfortable, he grabbed onto her hips, talon tips nearly digging into the flesh as blunted as they were, and thrust with abandon. The weeks of abstaining on a human ship, the emotions of the last few days and discovering his Soul Mate overriding the need to go slow. There would be more time another day. The sounds they both were making were escalating in volume as their ecstasy approached. 

Nihlus felt her walls begin to tremble around his member. “Nihlus, oh.. I-I’m close. Pl-Please don’t stop. Fuck.” and he quickly used his thumb on that bundle of nerves and tilted his hips, changing the angle to hit her deeper than before and it was like someone lit fireworks on her face. She came, screaming his name. With her cunt milking him he thrust a few more times before he too saw stars explode behind his eyes, subvocals going wild with ecstasy, love, lust and claiming her as his. In that moment, both their souls were bound together, two parts becoming one, becoming whole.

She almost collapsed onto his chest and keel, remembering at the last moment his injured chest and falling to his side instead. Both were breathing heavily, though in his case, the ecstasy was giving way to the pain of deep breathing.  _ Worth it. _

Shepard curled up at his side, and he wrapped an arm around her, letting her head rest on his shoulder. His purr was still ongoing. The one he never thought he’d utter. It was a sound exclusively between Bonded mates and close family. He turned his head and kissed the top of her head as she started to doze. It had been a very long and eventful day and it was now catching up to them.

“Sleep, my  _ Ardespiria _ .”

“What about the mission?” She yawned into his shoulder but made no move to leave his side.

“The mission will still be there in a few hours. We need to wait on Udina and Andreson to give you a ship, remember? Sleep till then.”

“Ok.” She mumbled and was asleep within seconds. Smiling down at her, he moved her silky strands of fringe out of her face, stuck there by sweat, before sleep claimed him as well, never having felt so at peace. His entire world curled up in his arms.


End file.
